Pell Grant Requirements

Welcome to PellGrantRequirements.com where you can learn about all the Pell Grant eligibility requirements. The Pell Grant is a federal grant that is issued to students in need. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increased the maximum amount that a student can receive, which is $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in 2010 - 2012. In order to be eligible to obtain a Pell Grant, students must qualify in all the following areas:

1) The student must have a financial need

2) Have a high school diploma, a GED, or have the ability to benefit from the program or training course.

3) The student must also be a United States Citizen, permanent resident or other eligible classification of non-citizen. To qualify as an eligible non-citizen, a student must be able to live and attend school legally. They must also be one of the follow.

6) Register with selective service, if you are a male between the age of 18 to 25

7) Certify by signing a FAFSA that you will use any federal student aid funds awarded to you solely for educational purposes.

8) Certify by signing a FAFSA that you are not in default of any federal student loan and that you do not owe a repayment of any federal student aid grant.

If you meet all of the above requirements, then you are in the right path to receiving FREE federal money from the United States government.

Your eligibility for federal student aid could be suspended at any time if you are/were convicted under federal or state law of the sale or possession of illegal drugs while you were a student receiving federal student aid.

The Pell Grant is great because it is money that does not a loan that you have to pay back to Uncle Sam also known as the Federal Government. As long as the money is being used for tuition, fees, or other educational expenses then the money is all yours.Financial Need is the most important requirement to receive the Pell Grant.The first requirement from the list above, financial need, will decide for many people if they will be eligible to receive the Pell Grant. Although students with family incomes up to $45,000 may be eligible, most awards go to students with family incomes below $20,000.

To receive a Pell Grant, a student must have financial need. The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula is the standard formula used in determining financial need for FSA programs. The formula produces an EFC number.

The lower the EFC, the greater the studentís financial need. Thus, the neediest students will have an EFC of 0 and may be eligible for the maximum Pell award of $4050 if their cost of attendance is high enough and if they will be attending full time for a full academic year.

As the EFC increases, the studentís need is less and so the amount of the award decreases; after the maximum EFC of 3850, eligibility for Pell funds becomes $0.

The EFC is computed by the Central Processing System (CPS) and is based on the information the student reported on the FAFSA. The EFC is included, along with the studentís application information, on the studentís output document (i.e. a SAR or ISIR).

Also, only one award can be granted per academic year. The good thing is that you can receive a Pell Grant as long as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements.